Flavor Night
by Lemurrs
Summary: On the night of Halloween, an eleven year old Matt comes up with a very tasty plan.  The question is, will L be as enthralled as the kids are? And is his relationship with Mello in danger? HALLOWEEN TREAT! AND FLUFF! Sorry, no yaoi, unless you squint...
1. Quibble

1Yeah, well, I wanted to do one before Halloween passed, so here. XD

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**Wulfi-chan does not own Death Note. When you really think about it, would you really want her to? Come on... Really?! Madness!!**

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**Flavor Night**

_By Wulfi-chan_

Full Summary: No one really knows about L. Some of the orphans at Wammy's House don't even know what he looks like, but nonetheless, they respect him. The top three of the house are privileged enough to be in his presence and witness his entirety for themselves.

On the night of Halloween, an eleven year old Matt comes up with a very tasty plan. The question is, will L be as enthralled as the kids are?

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"No way!!" voiced a very dismayed blonde, hanging upside down from the side of his bed. Matt sat on the rug in front of him, arms crossed and pouting, occasionally blowing a troublesome mop of scarlet from his line of sight as he fidgeted impatiently. Mello raised his upper lip in a silent snarl. "I'm not a kid anymore, Matt. I'm not gonna go door to door with an angel face and ask for candy."

"But you don't have to look sweet and innocent!! Wear a mask, then!!" He tried in vain to persuade his obstinate friend, but the older of the two was set on his own ideals. He preferred not to consider himself a child anymore, seeing as how he judged one's status by their intelligence.

"Look, Mel, if you still play Nintendo with me after all these years, I'm pretty damn sure you're still a kid. And you're twelve, for God's sake! Not even a preteen!!"

"Shut up!!" he spat, furious. "Don't you dare think me a child just because I'm twelve!! I'm older than you are!! Listen to your elders!!" He sat up and turned to face him, sitting Indian-style, and threw a powder blue pillow at him. He wasn't kidding; though the act may have seemed humorous to most, his sharp eyes were stern and cold.

Matt shielded his face, eyes desperate. He hugged the projectile to his chest and begged, pleading with puppy eyes that could make girls fall in halls and roll with cries of excitement. "Pleeeeaaaase!!!" He dragged the word out pathetically.

"Get out of my room!! You make me sick!!!" he blanched, aquamarine eyes harsh and laced with venom. When Matt sat firm on the carpet, he shouted gruffly for him to remove himself. The redhead ignored the few choice words he used and exited, tears dotting his lashes as he blinked away what could have been a disastrous display of weakness.

As he gently shut the door behind him, he left his hand limp on the brass knob and leaned on the cool wood. He sighed, eyes to the floor and mind elsewhere.

It was late. He shouldn't have even been out of his room to begin with, but after trying to get Mello to join him in his master plan all day, he wouldn't let the dead dog lie.

Dead dog... It made him shiver, thinking about his punishment in the morning. Another tongue lashing was in order if he brought the subject up again, which he most certainly would. He was determined to conform his tawny-haired buddy, and by God he would!

"Matt?"

His head shot up as he tensed instinctively, mind already going into overdrive to think up an excuse. "Yes?!" he squeaked, premature voice cracking.

His heart thudded heavily against the walls of his chest, eyes adjusting to the looming figure before him and frantically flitting across his face for details in a frenzy.

It was L.

"Matt, what are you doing out here so late?" he inquired, though his deep eyes already knew the answer. Matt found what appeared to be his eye sockets and held his gaze.

"Uh, well, that's a funny story," he jested, laughing with utmost nervousness under his breath and scratching the back of his head in a sheepish manner. He could almost feel the berating he would have gotten if Roger had caught him instead of his idol.

Well, more of an idol to Mello. Matt mostly stayed third so that he wouldn't be too far behind him, and never really considered taking L's place even though he clearly had the stunning intellect to do so.

"Hm," the adult mused, forefinger to his bottom lip, slightly pawing it out of habit. "Then why don't you come with me and we'll talk for a while?"

Matt could feel the jealous heat burning through the wooden door. Green flames of envy shot up around the two and engulfed them, strangling and constricting, tears equally shed in time with each singe.

He blinked away his inner-mind theater and nodded slowly. What else was there to do?

Hopefully he wouldn't drag him off to Roger afterwards.


	2. Solution

1Okay, last chapter, so get ready. :) No time for a beta reading, unfortunately, so I apologize for any errors. Constructive criticism welcomed!!

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**Wulfi-chan does not own Death Note. Try not to even think about that.**

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**Flavor Night**

_By Wulfi-chan_

Full Summary: No one really knows about L. Some of the orphans at Wammy's House don't even know what he looks like, but nonetheless, they respect him. The top three of the house are privileged enough to be in his presence and witness his entirety for themselves.

On the night of Halloween, an eleven year old Matt comes up with a very tasty plan. The question is, will L be as enthralled as the kids are?

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It was odd, to say the least, being in L's office. The walls were painted a pale blue, like the endless sky was encircling them in all of its azure glory. A lone desk sat in the center of the room on a red and violet striped, elliptical rug. Behind the work station was a flat, transparent square so that the wheels on his chair became active, not just for show. A small stool stood alone to the left of the desk.

The detective put his feet in the seat of the rolling chair and lifted himself into it, seating himself in a crouch of sorts with perfect equilibrium he had honed over time. He beckoned Matt closer, and as he complied, he swallowed hard. Though the nervousness had not yet left his rigid form, he tried his best to look content.

"Tell me this story of yours," he began when Matt took his place on the head of the stool. "You were fighting with Mello, but over what?"

It didn't surprise him too much that L knew the basics behind their shouting. Anyone would make the same assumption, but the fact that he was curious about the story behind the argument made Matt's rusty hair stand on end. L could not find out about his plan under any circumstances.

The boy's eyes met the fringe of the rug. "Uh, well, it's a secret… kind of…"

L's wise eyes twinkled with curiosity, lids lifting slightly in expectance. "Oh? Surely you wouldn't keep it from me."

Matt quickly changed the subject, hoping to catch him off guard. "You know, you'd make a great father, L!" He grinned widely, chuckling lightly. He had taken note of the parental sound that glazed his words, like a father toying with their son when the child had done something they believed was wrong, though they were actually not in trouble at all.

His expression turned bland. "Changing the subject will not help to avoid answering me."

"It was worth a try."

"Please explain why you two were bickering," he stated, all the maternal fondness gone from his voice. Matt sighed, fingering a stray red hair on his faded blue jeans.

"I was trying to get Mello to go trick-or-treating," he admitted.

"I don't see anything wrong with that," the older said, surprised that he'd been so worried about such a fact.

Matt groaned in annoyance. "Ugh!! I can't lie to you, or anyone else for that matter!!" He grabbed fistfuls of crimson locks, frustrated. L smirked at his reaction.

"You're a terrible liar, true," he jested lightly, smile brimming with utter sincerity. "I won't be angry with you. I'm sure you know better than to do something naughty behind my back."

Matt looked as if he'd been kicked. (A kicked puppy, to be more specific, is exactly what he looked like.) His emerald eyes were downcast, swimming with depression, and his eyebrows furrowed in distress. He had failed.

"There's more to it."

"I know."

"..."

"Tell me, Matt."

He flinched, though his tone wasn't meant to be brutal in the least. "..."

"... ..." L waited, seeing no need to push him any further.

"...I was trying to get him to... collect candy with me so... we could throw you a surprise party..."

He definitely wasn't expecting that. His eyes flew wide open, void pits of charcoal staring intently at the youth in shock. It may have been a slip of the mind, but he didn't remember telling the top three kids his birthday.

Perhaps he was over thinking this. It may have just been a Halloween celebration with no relevance to his date of birth at all.

"...Why?"

He wriggled in his seat under the man's strong eyes, feeling as if he was in hot water (though he couldn't imagine why). "Just because... Well... We know you love candy, so..."

At this, L grinned, his eyes going soft. "Aww, that's adorable... I haven't had a party in years..." A caring spark flickered both in his eyes and heart.

Matt's face lit up in a wide array of teeth, the apparent joy almost visibly radiating from his ecstatic figure. He bounced in his seat with sheer excitement. "So that means we can still have the party right?! Even if Mello doesn't want to help, we can get our own candy, right?!"

The elder of the two let out a monosyllable laugh, a tint of pink reaching his cheeks. "Of course we can! See how many teachers you can hit up and I'll come with you to town."

The child beamed and nodded enthusiastically. "Okay!!"

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It was customary of the orphanage to take the children into town on All Hallows Eve, seeing as how no kid should miss out on the ultimate trick-or-treating experience. Winchester was an authentic, preserved cathedral city on the edge of the South Downs and was often known as England's ancient capital. Everything in it was simply beautiful.

The golden sunlight glinted off of the castle walls as they neared various rows of houses, bubbly chatter rising amongst the children. Matt held a tight grip around L's gloved hand. He was dressed as a pirate with a white blouse and brown vest, and an eyepatch covered his left eye. His escort, wary of others seeing his face, was wearing a raven mask that suited the onyx mess that was his hair. Matt walked hand in hand with him, a bounce in his step.

As the time passed, the orphans managed to collect copious amounts of candy from generous civilians and storekeepers. L said not a word, but when Matt would glance at his with happiness shining in his eyes, he couldn't help but smile himself. Though the lad couldn't see it, he knew he must be wearing a similar expression.

The children thought him another chaperone and nothing more.

Heading home, they saw an unfortunate man lose hold of the leash on his dog and run clumsily after him. The group of youths snickered, and when the man pounced, he and his dog landed promptly in a puddle of mud. The group chorused in laughter as the female chaperones gave the disheveled man apologetic looks and some tried to hush the bustling crowd. Matt chuckled to himself and L tenderly squeezed his hand, rubbing the back of it with his thumb. They shared glances, at peace with each other and the happenings around them. They just wanted to hurry back to Wammy's House and count their (rather Matt's) earnings.

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"Amazing!!" an overjoyed redhead yelped, wiggling with anticipation. He stood beside L's rolling chair as the taller male sifted thought the candy which they had dumped onto the desk. "This is perfect!!"

The detective sat normally now, seeing Matt's fault, and picked him up. He squirmed uneasily at first, but settled down when L placed him snugly in his lap. The desk was a bit high and there was a much better spectacle from L's point of view.

The candy resembled a small hill. Pastel rainbows must have slumbered in his bag while he swung it on his way home. Matt's jaw dropped in amazement. "Wow!! Look at all of this!!"

"We can't possibly eat all of this by ourselves," L muttered into his bouncy red hair as he hugged him to his chest, smiling. "Why don't you go invite Mello or Near?"

He cringed at the suggestion. Mello had snorted at the thought of trick-or-treating and Near didn't like the public at all.

Then there was the fact that he wasn't too comfortable around Near, but that's another story entirely.

"Uh... I'm sure you could eat the majority, L!! You sure loooooove candy!!"

His charm left L unfazed. He simply put him on his feet and pushed him to the door.

"No Mello or Near, no candy for you."

"WHAT?!" he screeched, horrified.

"Go get them, Matt."

"B-but...-!!"

"Matt... Mello didn't mean to come off so cold. Think about things from his point of view," L prodded, trying to resolve things between the two (ex)friends.

"He's a stubborn ass, but he has his good points. He's a mystery to me..."

"Maybe he doesn't like doing things that seem to belittle him, such as..."

"...Okay, I get it."

And with that, he left the room with his head hanging low.

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"Go away."

The door, which had been cracked with an aquatic eye peering maliciously at a certain green-eyed youngster, slammed with echoing finality.

Matt sighed heavily, breath quivering. He fell to his knees and pawed at the door lamely, like a dog that had done something to trouble his master.

Matt really was a dog. How sad, to live this life of a mutt, and betray your master by hanging out with their role model.

For shame, Matt. For shame.

He let his weary head fall against the door. Its surface didn't burn with the rage from yesterday, and the lime flames had left nothing in their wake. He was hopeless. Nothing around him suddenly mattered anymore.

Then the tears began to fall.

The pale door swung open before a drop could dampen the carpet. The blonde stood dominantly in front of him, looming with a lazy look in his eyes.

"Stop sniveling. Let's go."

Stunned, Matt paused for a moment, then leapt from the ground and encircled his arms around Mello. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!!"

He stiffened and rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah, whatever. Quit clinging, you dumb dog."

He wagged his tail, or rather, shook his tush and ran off in the direction of L's office.

He didn't bother to ask Near. This flavorful night full of endless sweets belonged to them and them only. Mello, L, and himself were the only ones invited to partake in the night's events.

Halloween had never seemed brighter.

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Yeah, it's a cruddy little thing I came up with since I didn't see any Halloween fics in the Death Note category. My first actually finished story, though it's not as good as I would have liked.

Hope you enjoyed this little treat. Happy Halloween, kiddies. ;)

I just said "kiddies", didn't I?

I'm only fourteen, for the love of God, and here I am calling my readers "kiddies". XD I really need to stop hanging around my mom and grandmother. -shifty eyes-

Well, please read and review!! Wheeeee!!! -flees (normally, she wouldn't run off in such a manner, but it's Halloween and she's got sugar on the brain)-

(Email me at: kthxnohate (at) yahoo (dot) com:D )


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